When people hear the term grid flexibility, they often think of large batteries, solar parks, or industrial demand response. But some of the most interesting flexibility may come from much smaller assets already present in everyday life. A washing machine or dishwasher may not seem important on its own. But when many of these appliances are connected, coordinated, and integrated into a broader energy management system, they can help support the grid in a practical and meaningful way.
Why flexibility matters now
Electricity grids were historically designed around predictable generation following demand. That model is changing. With growing shares of variable renewable energy, the challenge is no longer only how to generate electricity, but also how to align consumption with availability. STUNNED describes this clearly in its Challenge & Objectives: the project aims to lower energy demand in buildings, support balanced and stable electricity grids, enable flexible energy markets, and empower energy communities.
What demand response and flexibility markets mean
Two terms often appear in this discussion: demand response and flexibility markets.
Demand response means adjusting electricity use in response to a signal. That signal can come from the grid, an energy management platform, an aggregator, or a market mechanism. In everyday terms, this might mean delaying a dishwasher cycle during a busy evening or running a washing machine when plenty of solar power is available.
Why washing machines and dishwashers are strong candidates
Not every electrical device is equally useful when it comes to flexibility. Washing machines and dishwashers are interesting because their operation can often be shifted without causing much inconvenience.
In many cases, users mainly care that the cycle is finished within a reasonable time window. They do not necessarily need it to start the exact moment they press the button.
That small amount of timing flexibility can make a real difference. If a cycle can be moved by just 30 to 90 minutes, it can help avoid local peak periods, make better use of lower-cost hours, or align consumption with locally available renewable electricity.
The real value does not come from one appliance alone. It comes from aggregation. A single dishwasher will not support the energy system in any meaningful way. But thousands of connected appliances, all responding within user-defined limits, can create a useful source of flexibility.
What turns an appliance into a grid asset
An appliance does not become a grid asset just because it uses electricity. It needs specific technical capabilities.
First, it needs connectivity, so it can exchange information with a digital platform. Second, it needs telemetry, so the system can understand relevant operating states such as readiness, timing constraints, or availability for flexibility. Third, it needs some level of controllability, so an orchestration layer can influence when the appliance runs. Finally, it needs to do all of this securely, while respecting user preferences, safety constraints, and the integrity of the appliance program.
This is also why interoperability matters. In a project like STUNNED, appliances do not operate on their own. They need to work together with orchestration logic, energy management components, flexibility gateways, aggregators, and sometimes even distribution system actors.
For this to work, the different parts of the system need to communicate reliably. They also need clear interfaces, so that appliances, platforms, and market actors can exchange information without unnecessary friction.
Figure 1: Illustrative flow of how smart washing machines and dishwashers can participate in demand response through STUNNED orchestration and HomeWhiz connectivity.
The role of HomeWhiz
HomeWhiz is Beko’s smart home management solution. It enables remote control of appliances and facilitates the secure collection of user behavior and energy consumption data via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. In everyday life, it allows users to connect and monitor compatible appliances through a mobile interface, access remote-control features, and interact with smart functions designed to improve convenience and efficiency. In the STUNNED context, however, HomeWhiz has a broader role than a typical consumer app. It becomes part of the digital layer that connects smart appliances to a wider energy flexibility ecosystem.
What makes this particularly relevant for STUNNED is the project’s use of cloud-to-cloud communication between HomeWhiz and the integrated management and control platform. This allows appliance-side information to be exchanged with the project platform and, in the other direction, allows grid- or platform-level signals to be translated into appliance-level flexibility actions. In other words, HomeWhiz helps create the operational link between connected household devices and the broader orchestration logic of the project.
This means HomeWhiz is not only there to visualize appliance status or provide remote access. Within STUNNED, it helps expose appliance-level telemetry that is relevant for flexibility, supports the use of consumption and behavioral data to better understand demand patterns, and enables the project platform to interact with connected appliances in a structured way. The proposal also notes that this setup can support flexibility actions such as presenting users with shifting or scheduling alternatives and, where appropriate, enabling actions such as eco-mode operation to reduce consumption while still respecting user comfort.
That role is crucial because flexibility does not happen only at market level and not only at device level. It depends on a reliable digital connection between the two. In the STUNNED architecture, HomeWhiz helps provide that connection by linking connected Beko appliances with the project’s wider management, interoperability, and flexibility framework.
Beko’s role in STUNNED
Beko’s role in this story is simple: it contributes connected washing machines and dishwashers to the pilots in France and Spain and supports their integration into the project framework.
In STUNNED, these appliances are not treated as standalone smart products. They are part of a wider interoperability and flexibility chain. The aim is to show how everyday white goods can support coordinated energy management when they are connected to digital platforms, user interfaces, and project-level control logic.
So the emphasis is not only on the appliances themselves, but on how they can be integrated into a real demonstrator environment and contribute to project-level flexibility objectives.
Why aggregation is the real key
A single dishwasher does not stabilize the grid. A single washing machine does not create a flexible market. The real value emerges through aggregation.
This is one of the most important points for understanding smart appliances as grid assets. Each device may offer only a small amount of flexibility, but when many of them are coordinated together, their combined effect can become operationally meaningful. This aggregated response can help reduce peaks, support local balancing, and improve alignment between electricity demand and renewable generation. STUNNED’s architecture reflects this logic through its market-oriented and multi-layer approach, where buildings, aggregators, and market actors interact to optimize flexibility.
Engineering realities and limits
It is also important to stay realistic. Not every appliance cycle can or should be shifted. Some users may want their appliance to start immediately. Some programmes may be less suitable for delay. Communication reliability, cybersecurity, user trust, safety, product integrity, and convenience all matter. These are not secondary details. They are central to whether appliance-based flexibility can work at scale in the real world.
This is exactly why pilot projects are so important. They do not only test whether the technical concept works. They also help assess the practical, economic, and operational conditions needed to make it viable. In STUNNED, the demonstrators are designed to test the proposed solution in real-life environments and assess its technical, economic, and legal feasibility.
A practical step toward a more flexible grid
Smart appliances are already part of many homes. More and more of them are connected, and many are naturally suited to shifting electricity demand in time. As Europe continues its energy transition, this makes them strong candidates for the flexibility toolbox.
This is why the work being done in STUNNED matters. The future grid will not be supported only by large-scale infrastructure. It will also depend on intelligent coordination at the edge of the system: in buildings, in communities, and increasingly, in the appliances people use every day.
For Beko, contributing connected washing machines and dishwashers to the French and Spanish pilots is therefore more than an integration task. It is part of a broader transition towards a more digital, flexible, and resilient energy system.
